Refreshed user interface, including "dark mode"

OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" comes with a slightly different user interface, with a few tweaks and a new font — with the familiarity of older versions of the desktop operating system.

A new "dark mode" amazed developers when it was announced in June in San Francisco. It dims the user interface to make it more comfortable working in darker areas. It still needs a bit of work, as the notifications don't always appear as smoothly or as rounded as they could be. But expect a polished product once it launches later this year.

Spotlight packs a greater punch

Spotlight's previous incarnation has been limited to searching your pictures, documents, and emails — anything that was on your computer. Now, Spotlight will intelligently search around your location for anything that may be relevant, like bars, restaurants, and other online sources.

Call someone on your Mac, via your iPhone

With Apple's new iPhone bridging feature, dubbed Continuity, you will be able to take and make calls on your Mac so long as your phone is nearby and connected to Wi-Fi. Despite occasional connectivity issues, and while this wasn't tested fully, the functionality exists — and aims to save time when your iPhone is on the other side of the office or your apartment.

See all your files in iCloud Drive

Long awaited and finally added into this software release, a new Finder sidebar option, iCloud Drive, is exactly what it appears to be. Many apps already store data in iCloud, which when it was first released was not an option. It was reserved for photos and contacts, and now and then email — if you ever used it. Data from apps is sandboxed and segregated into separate folders. Although the feature is a little less seamless on Windows, you can still export your data from non-Mac devices.

Connect to the Internet, anywhere

Also, thanks to Continuity, another bright spark feature aims to allow your MacBook to switch between networks without a second thought.

When there are no Wi-Fi connections, so long as your iPhone is within reach and connected to cell service, your Mac will automatically connect to your iPhone as a personal hotspot. And when you're no longer active, it will switch off to save your device's battery.

"Handoff" from iPhone, iPad

Handoff, the feature that allows you to work on one device and "hand-off" to another, such as emails and work documents, works well but when it wants to. And application support seems limited for now, though developers can tie in hand-off features to their own apps and services.

Six things to look forward to in OS X 10.10 'Yosemite'

Apple's next generation desktop and notebook operating system will land on MacBooks around the world in fall. Here are six things to look forward to.

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"Handoff" from iPhone, iPad

Handoff, the feature that allows you to work on one device and "hand-off" to another, such as emails and work documents, works well but when it wants to. And application support seems limited for now, though developers can tie in hand-off features to their own apps and services.